It has been less than 12 months since I launched Eat Canberra Food Tours and in that time I have taken more than 200 locals, interstate and international travellers on food tours in Canberra.
Showing people some of the hot spots and hidden gems in Canberra and sharing my passion for food and Canberra’s food scene is something that I absolutely love to do.
Since launching, I’ve even had people tell me that they would move to Canberra after experiencing the food tour and seeing how cool Canberra really is. Pretty cool hey? I’ve also had many people return on a second food tour or organise private food tours.
I currently offer two food tours, organise and host a range of food events (including the Ultimate Picnic Feast on 24th March) and run the Eat Canberra blog and social media pages.
Eat Canberra now has a following of more than 18,000 food lovers across social media and an average of 300 views on the website every day! It hasn’t been easy and I’ve put so much effort and time into building it to what it is today but it has all been worth it.
Eat Canberra will continue to expand in many ways this year. As there is only one of me, there’s only so much I can do! So I’m super excited to announce that I have recently recruited two food tour guides who will also be running Eat Canberra Food Tours in 2018. I would like to introduce you to our new Eat Canberra Food Tour guides, Eva and Christa.
Introducing Eva Medcalf….. Eva’s warm and bubbly personality will instantly make you feel comfortable. She has worked as a food critic in India and has written articles for publications with an audience of more than 1 million people!
Tell me a little bit about your background in regards to food?
I grew up with a mother who is an amazing cook and four older brothers so I learned to eat well and eat fast from the get go! I lived in Turkey, Finland and Australia as a child and then in Japan and India as an adult so I love new flavours and food experiences. One of the first things I do when I travel overseas is visit a supermarket to check out all the different products – better than any museum!
After graduating I lived in New Delhi for three years where I worked as a food critic for the Hindustan Times and got to eat everything from street food to fine dining and interview some of the top chefs working in India at the time. Aside from one irate stalker chef from Naples and the odd bout of Delhi belly, it was a fabulous introduction to being a professional foodie.
I also love to cook and have never subscribed to the rule that you should never try a new dish at a dinner party – when else do you get a chance to experiment on a grand scale?
What’s your favourite food?
If only I could pick a favourite! I love the spicy, citrusy and vibrant flavours of South-East Asian cooking; the beauty, simplicity and seasonal as well as regional emphasis of Japanese food; and intense tastes like North Indian dry-fried bitter gourd or Malaysian sambal. And did I mention my love of anything pickled and fermented? All hail the pickling trend!
What do you love the most about food?
Aside from the joy of eating, it’s the social aspect of sharing a meal with people whose company you enjoy. Now that I have children, I also love introducing them to new flavours, although this only seems to work in restaurants. They’ll happily try snails in Avignon and sample Pho in Cabramatta, but they won’t even let me vary the grated cheese on their Spaghetti Bolognese.
What’s your favourite food experience?
For an exotic experience it was eating three lavish South Indian feasts a day during a farm-stay holiday on a small island in Kerala’s backwaters. All meals were prepared by our host’s mother with most of the ingredients grown on their farm. She had so much enthusiasm for cooking, despite cooking all day every day. I was also pretty thrilled when my 10-year-old son baked a perfect coconut lemon cake without any help from me (except for eating it…).
Favourite place to eat in Canberra?
I’m a fickle eater and am usually happiest eating a new food in a new place, although I’ve been addicted to the tamarind coconut tang of the Balinese Chicken from Abell’s Kopi Tiam in Manuka for almost twenty years. I also love the new emphasis on creative healthy dishes which has taken over the food world and found its way to Canberra. Places like Local Press Café at Kingston foreshore and Eighty/Twenty in Braddon are great at bringing out the dazzle in their veggies.
What do you love about Canberra’s food scene?
I love that such a small city can have so much quality and variety. There may only be about 350,000 of us but we’re all champion eaters!
Introducing Christa White…. Christa is a barista by trade and runs popular Instagram foodie account @spoonfulofcanberra. Her photos are drool-worthy! She has exceptional customer service skills and is passionate about the Canberra food scene. She recently became addicted to Japanese food when she travelled to Japan and fell in love with ramen.
Tell me a little bit about your background in regards to food?
I actually grew up with little knowledge about food but I’ve worked in hospitality since I was 15 and since then, I’ve grown to understand and explore food a lot more. Especially after spending a few years working in a Mexican restaurant which really opened up my eyes to the amazing world of food!
What’s your favourite food?
Now this is a hard one! A year ago I would have said it was a straight toss up between pasta or burritos. But since travelling to Japan last year and trying authentic ramen for the first time, I’d have to say ramen is a clear winner – it has changed my life forever!
What do you love the most about food?
I love how food brings people together, without food social outings just wouldn’t be a thing for me!
What’s your favourite food experience?
It would have to be a combined experience of joining an amazing foodie community in Canberra and being able to constantly meet new people and try new food!
Favourite place to eat in Canberra?
I have to say Chez Frederic – laid back friendly staff, very generous portions and their pasta is to die for!
What do you love about Canberra’s food scene?
I love how much the food scene is thriving right now, there seems to be a new food event popping up every weekend. I also love how passionate restaurants are with providing top quality food around Canberra.
Eva, Christa and I look forward to taking you on an Eat Canberra Food Tour and sharing our love of food and Canberra with you.
Thanks so much for everyone for your support and I look forward to continuing to bring you lots more food and travel content and experiences!
Amelia xx
If your business aligns with Eat Canberra and you want to collaborate or if you’re interested in being a contributor or food tour guide then please email eatcanberra@gmail.com. There are also promotional packages available and media kits are available. You can also join the Eat Canberra Food Tribe to be notified about secret foodie events.
Need assistance with social media management or content creation? I’m also a freelance writer and run a communications business. Email socialitedigital@gmail.com.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.